Shaft-coupling.



F. H.- CATHCART.

I l u APPLICATION FILED MAY I5. |912. 4 1,208,481 Patented Dec. 12, 1916.

- 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

'bein UNITED STAT-ns PATENT OFFICE FRANK H. CATHCART, 0F TRENTON, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 AUTUMATIC SHAFT COUYLING C0., 0F ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA., A CORPORATION 0F DELAWARE.

SHAFT-CO UPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 12, 1916.

i Application filed May- 15, 1912. Serial No. 697,360.

To all whom t mag/concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK H. CATHCART, a citizen of the United States, residing at Trenton, in the county of Mercer and i tate of New .Ierse have invented certain new and useful vm rovements in Shaft-Couplings, of 'Whic the following is a' specicetlon. j My invention restes to improvements 1n shaft couplings, the object of the invention to rovide improved means for lock-1 ing t e a jacent ends of alined shafts', which -dly secures the shaftsto turn together, el'may he quickly and easily operated to uncou le the shafts. --A rther object is to provide en imvproved shell with elined bearings for the shafts and recesses concentric with the shaft, and in which Wedge plates are provided which coperete with devices in therecesses Vto lock the shafts and shell together.

A further object is to provide a shaftv couplingjof. this character which. provides a hearing surface throughout the length .of

vthe shell against which the shafts are pressed bythe :Lotion of wedge plates and movable devices in the' recesses.

springs-v on-the line v'ffof Fig. 1, showing the shaft With these, and otherobjects 1n view, the invention consrstsm l'certain novel features of construction and combinations and al;1

' rangements of parts, as will be more fully hereinafter described 'and q :iointeizl out. inI the -In the accompanying drawings: 'Figure 1,'

View i''longitudinalY section illustrating Y. my improvements. Fi 2', is e detail: perspective view of oneo the frames 8. vFig'.

3, is' an inverted perspective view of one of :2e-wedge plates 10. Fig-Lise perspective ew .of one of the wedge plate holding Fig. 5, is a yiew' in cross vsectionl it'fundiezi togive it the necessary ing means now to he described.

und durability. This shell is provided etlits ends, und at its (renter, with inlined hearings 2 forthe reception of shafts 3, an openso'l ing 4 being provided in the shell through thronghout'the shell in the upper portion of the 'shellto resist the pressure of the lock- In the lower portionsof the recesses 5, frames 8 are located and support at their'ends, rollers 9. `These rollers 9 are of maximum strength and are of greater diameter than the thickness of freine. 8, thatthe frame d'oes not come in Contact with the wall of the recess.

Between Veach frame 8 end the'shsft section .3', I locate an improved Wedge plate 10.

This wedge in the' are o upper fece is curved concentricslly with the curvature of thesheftso'as to snugly ft the plate, as seen in Fig.' 3,-is curved.' a circle circlllnferentially. Its

shaft Whilejthe lowerfalce of'the Wedge. plate iscurved in e smellerercof'a circle,

so that the plate is thickest at its center :end i tapers toward-both ends. v

'.loin'su'ne instnnteneous'clutchingor i ping action when the shafft'or .the she lipp;

, are l turned relative to each other, I provide,

meens'for holding'th'enwedge plate agilinstthe shaft so es to -compel it to move there--y shaft/*This .Ineens mqy, ofcourse stantaneous,

of the shaft, and at the intermediate portions o'l: said wire spring, they are positioned in grooves 19, in. the bottom ol wedge plate l0 and may be secured therein in any approved manner. This spring performs the function of compelling the Wedge to niovc with the shaft so as to prevent any possibility o'l" slipping one part against thc other. While the wenige plate will opcratrl without this spring, the latter improves the opera.- tion because it prevents any delay in thc clutching action. y

Fig. 5 shows the position of the wedge plate When idle. ln other words, when in. this position, the shalt is not locked to the shell. W'hen the shaft or shell is given a partialturn, the Wedge plate il) is moved circurnferentially between the shaft, and one of the rollers 9, and. as this Wedge plate increases in thickness troni its ends to its center, this movement causes the nate to wedge between a. roller 9 and sha t il, .securely .lockingr shaft and shell. togethin'. t turning movement in the opposite direcw tion tends ,to release this limiting engage ment, and the plate is sin'iihirly shaped at both ends, a turning niovcnmnt ol' the shaft or shell in` either direction will lock the parts together. It will therefore be seen that my improved shaft coupling relies upon the eccentric surface of the wedge plate whichA moves between the rollers 9, and by reason of the fact that these rollers 9 more against the wall of the concentric recess a firm gripping action is obtained. Furthermore, 1t will; he noted that the shafts have a bearing directly opposite the point of pressure exerted by the wedge plates. ln other words, the blocks 6 are so positioned that when the wedges tend to lpress the shafts, these blocks 6 will sustain, the pressure. This is an important feature, because it provides a rigid hacking for the shafts against the pressure of the Wedge plates.

It will be noted that each of the shafts is coupled to the shell by precisely the same mechanism, and that the locking action is had ,either by turning the shaft or the shell, or in other Words, moving these parts in opposite directions or holding one while the other moves'. Therefore, when one shaft is turned and the shell held, such shaft will be locked to the shell, and a continued tarning movement of the shell Will lock lthe other shaft to the shell, so that the shafts Will he coupled. Hence these shafts may be readily coupled by moving the shell in one direction, and released by moving the shell in the other direction. The operation vis almost inand shafting may be coupled and uncoupled quickly and easily.

Various slight changes might be made in the general form and arrangement of parte described Without departing from my invention, and hence l do not limit in yseli vto the precise details set forth, but consider nl yscl'l' at liberty to malte such changes and alterations :is fairly fall within the spirit and scope ol' the appended claims.

Having; thus drscrilwil my invention, what lV cla-ini new and desire to secure h y Letters Patent is:

l.- A shalt coupling comprising a shell having; a cylindrical. here, and adalirteil to receive a shalt tl ein of anw-eciahly leas lianictcr than the internal diameter ot the shell, said shell having a sl'ialt engaging en'- largeinent extending inwardly and spaced beyond thc inner surface of the shell, a roller in the shell, and a wedge located be tween the roller shalt is in the shell, sul'istantially le-- scribed.

A. shaft coupling comprising a shell having hearings therein for a shaft, and hai/lng :l iomcniric reces s therein with an inwardly projmzting i largement in the recesso( portion aa' si which the shaiit is adentra to hear, a roller in said recess, and a Wedge located between the roller and shait when the shaft in the shell, whereby the movement ot' the wedge circnmierentially tends to press the said enlargement against the shaft, substantially as described.

A shaft coupling comprising a shell havingl'iearings therein to receivea shaft, said shell. having a recess therein, a. frame in said recess, rollers at the ends of the frame and a wedge late inter osed between said frame tially as described. f

4t. A. shaft coupling comprising a shell having bearings therein to receive a. shaft, and said shell having a recess therein con* centric with the hearings, a frame in the reand the shaft, substanand the shaft when the cess, rollers in the ends of the frame, and a Wedge plate fitting the shaft and he moved circnmferentially to Wedge he* tween the rollers of the frame and the shaft, substantially as described.

5. A shaft coupling comprising a 'shell having a cylindrical bore, and adapted to receive a shaft therein of appreciahlyless. diameter than the internal dialneteruof the shell, said shell having surface extending inwardly beyond the l ner surface' of the shell, two rollers inwtle shell,- and a wedge located between the rol-l?- adapted to a shaft engaging, H'

ers and the shaft, said Wedge curved in the ,i

are of a circle Widest at its center tapering to both ends, substantially as described.

6. A shaft having bearings therein for a shaft, and

`havingg a concentric recess therein with an coupling comprising a shellA bearings und the end bearings, frames in saidrecesses, rollers in the ends of said .frames and Wedge plates between the shafts and the.` roller fra/mes, s11bslzzu'al1il1ll-y :1s (lescribed.

18. A shaft emlpling comprising a shell having end and central bearings, shaft sem tions 1n said bearings, said shell having e0ncentric recesses therein between the central bearings and the end. bearings, iframes in Suid recesses, rollers in the ends of said signed my pres-@nee el as described. 1 J 

